FY 2015 Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities, Part 1: Research Space

Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

Attachment C - 2015 Facilities Questionnaire

FY 2015 Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities, Part 1: Research Space

OMB: 3145-0101

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Attachment C
FY 2015 Facilities Survey Questionnaire

National Science Foundation

FY 2015 Survey of Science and
Engineering Research Facilities

Your participation in this survey is voluntary. However, your institution’s response is important. The
information from this survey on individual institutions can be used by your institution and other institutions for
decision- and policy-making. The data also describe science and engineering research facilities at the national,
regional, and state levels.
Based on information collected in the FY 2013 cycle, responding to this survey typically requires 19 hours
depending on how data are maintained at your institution. If you wish to comment on the burden of completing
this survey, contact Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, NSF, via e-mail at splimpto@nsf.gov or
call 1-703-292-7556. Or, you may write to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction
Project (OMB Number 3145-0101), Washington, DC 20503.
Expiration date: XX/XX/XXXX
If you have a question, please contact Lorraine Lewis via e-mail at facilitiessurvey@westat.com or call
1-888-811-1838. The survey director at the National Science Foundation is Mr. Michael Gibbons.
Please complete and send this survey to NSF on the web (according to the instructions on page 1) or
return it by mail to:
ATTN: NSF Facilities Survey
Westat
1600 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
Thank you for your participation.

General information
This questionnaire is available electronically. Go to www.facilitiessurvey.org to access the survey. You will need
to enter your institution’s ID and password.
Please report information for the institution named on the web survey questionnaire.
If you do not have exact figures for any part of this questionnaire, please provide estimates.

Confidentiality
Information provided on research animal space (Questions 1 row i, 3, and 9f) and on the condition of S&E space
(Question 6) will not be publicly available for individual institutions. In accordance with the National Science
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, and other applicable federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in
identifiable form to anyone other than agency employees or authorized persons.

Changes from previous survey cycle


Fields of science and engineering (S&E): Changes have been made to the fields of S&E and to the lists of
disciplines included in the fields in order to better coordinate field totals in national academic surveys. For a
description of the fields of S&E, see Question 2 on pages 5–7. If you have questions about the definitions for
fields of S&E, please contact Lorraine Lewis via e-mail at facilitiessurvey@westat.com or call 1-888-811-1838.



Question 19 on survey completion time has been deleted.



The Crosswalk of Survey Fields of S&E to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2010
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) has been deleted.

Definition of science and engineering (S&E) research and research space
Please use these definitions when answering all questions in this survey.
Research is all sponsored research and development activities of your institution that are separately budgeted and
accounted for. Research can be funded by your own institution, the federal government, a state government, foundations,
corporations, or other sources. It does not include departmental research that is not separately budgeted.
Research space is the net assignable square feet of space in buildings within which research activities take place.
Research facilities are located within buildings. A building is a roofed structure for permanent or temporary shelter of
persons, animals, plants, materials, or equipment. Structures should be included if they are (1) attached to a foundation,
(2) roofed, (3) serviced by a utility, exclusive of lighting, and (4) a source of significant maintenance and repair activities.
Net assignable square feet (NASF) is the sum of all areas on all floors of a building assigned to, or available to be
assigned to, an occupant for a specific use, such as research or instruction. NASF is measured from the inside faces of
walls.
Science and engineering (S&E) includes the following fields: agricultural sciences and natural resources sciences,
biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering, health and clinical sciences,
mathematics and statistics, physical sciences, psychology, social sciences, and other science and engineering fields. See
Question 2 on pages 5–7 for a detailed list of the disciplines included in each of these fields.

Definition of science and engineering (S&E) research and research space (continued)
Research space includes:


controlled-environment space, such as clean, cold, or white rooms



technical and laboratory support space, such as equipment areas, preparation
areas, darkrooms, carpentry and machine shops, storage areas, etc.



laboratories, including computer labs, behavior observation rooms, etc.



core laboratories that serve other laboratories



laboratories and associated support areas used for research animals, including
procedure rooms, bench space, animal production colonies, holding rooms,
germ-free rooms, surgical facilities, recovery rooms, etc.



housing facilities for research animals and associated maintenance areas,
including cage rooms, stalls, wards, isolation rooms, exercise rooms, feed
storage rooms, cage-washing rooms, holding and storage areas, etc.



space for clinical trial research



offices, to the extent that they are used for research activities, including
administrative activities for a specific research project



space with fixed (built-in) equipment such as fume hoods



space with nonfixed equipment costing $1 million or more each, such as MRIs



space that is leased by your institution

Research space does not include:


space for the fields of law, business administration/management, humanities,
history, the arts, or education



libraries, unless they are dedicated to a specific research project



animal field buildings sheltering animals that do not directly support research or
that are not subject to government regulations concerning humane care and use
of laboratory animals



Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)



in-kind space used by your faculty, staff, or other persons but administered by
other organizations, such as research facilities at non-university hospitals or
Veterans Administration hospitals



space administered by your institution but leased to another organization



outdoor areas such as fish ponds or planting fields

Question 1: Types of science and engineering (S&E) research space
1. Please indicate whether or not your institution had each type of S&E research space listed below at the end of your
FY 2015. See pages 2–3 for the definition of research space and fields of S&E.
Did your institution have this
type of S&E research space
at end of FY 2015?
(Mark one “X” for each row.)
Types of S&E research space

Yes

a. Laboratories, wet or dry, including computer
laboratories, behavior observation laboratories, etc. .......................
b. Laboratory support space, including autoclave rooms,
darkrooms, equipment areas, storage areas for research
equipment and supplies, etc. .............................................................
c. Instructional laboratories that are also used for research..................
d. Core laboratories that serve other laboratories .................................
e. Leased space that is used for research ..............................................
f. Offices, to the extent they are used for research ...............................
g. Space used for research containing nonfixed equipment
costing $1 million or more each, such as MRIs ................................
h. Research space in a medical school that awards the M.D.
or D.O. degree ..................................................................................
i. Research animal space ......................................................................
Reminder: Please see page 1 for confidentiality of this item.

Laboratories and associated support areas used for research
animals that are subject to local, state, and federal government
policies and regulations concerning humane care and use of
animals. Examples include procedure rooms, holding rooms,
recovery rooms, animal production colonies, and storage areas.
Space for housing research animals and associated maintenance
areas that are subject to local, state, and federal government
policies and regulations concerning humane care and use of
animals. Examples include animal quarters, cage washing
rooms, feed storage areas, isolation rooms, and exercise rooms.
j. Research space that is used for clinical trials ...................................

Uncertain

Question 2: Amount of research space
2. At the end of your FY 2015, how much net assignable square feet was used for research (based on the definition
of research space on pages 2–3) for each of the fields of science and engineering (S&E) below? Please include any
research animal space in the relevant fields of S&E. You may provide estimates if you do not have exact figures.
Research space is equivalent to functional category 2 (Research) for facilities inventory systems based on the U.S.
Department of Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual (FICM classification), the Western Interstate
Commission for Higher Education (WICHE classification), and the National Association of College and University
Business Officers (NACUBO classification).
Research animal space includes all departmental and central facilities, such as laboratories, housing, and associated
support areas, that are subject to local, state, and federal government policies and regulations concerning humane care
and use of laboratory animals.
If research space was shared among fields or used for other purposes in addition to research, report the portion
of space used for research for each field below. For example, if two fields shared the space equally, report half of
the space in one field and half in the other. Or, if an area was used for research one-fourth of the time and for other
purposes the rest of the time, report one-fourth of the space as research space.
Net assignable square feet
of research space at end of
FY 2015

Field of S&E
(Include research animal space.)

a. Agricultural sciences
Agricultural production operations
Agriculture, excluding agricultural
business and management
Animal sciences
Applied horticulture and horticultural
business services
Fishing and fisheries sciences and
management

Food science and technology
Forestry
International agriculture
Plant pathology and phytopathology,
agricultural
Plant sciences
Soil sciences
Agricultural sciences, other

______________ NASF

Molecular biology
Molecular medicine
Neurobiology
Neuroscience
Nutrition sciences
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Plant biology
Plant pathology and phytopathology,
biological sciences
Population biology
Toxicology
Zoology
Biological and biomedical sciences, other

______________ NASF

Computer systems networking and
telecommunications
Data processing
Information science, studies
Computer and information sciences, other

______________ NASF

Check this box if no
research space in this field at
the end of FY 2015

b. Biological and biomedical sciences
Anatomical sciences
Animal biology
Biochemistry
Bioinformatics
Biomathematics
Biophysics
Biotechnology
Botany
Cell biology
Cellular biology
Computational biology
Ecology
Epidemiology
Genetics
Immunology
Microbiological sciences

Check this box if no
research space in this field at
the end of FY 2015

c. Computer and information sciences
Computer and information technology
administration and management
Computer science
Computer software and media applications
Computer systems analysis

Check this box if no
research space in this field at
the end of FY 2015

Net assignable square feet
of research space at end of
FY 2015

Field of S&E
(Include research animal space.)

d. Engineering
Aeronautical engineering
Aerospace engineering
Agricultural engineering
Astronautical engineering
Automation engineering
Bioengineering
Biomedical engineering
Chemical engineering
Civil engineering
Communications engineering
Computer engineering
Electrical engineering
Electronic engineering
Engineering chemistry
Engineering design
Engineering mechanics
Engineering physics
Engineering science
Environmental engineering

Environmental health engineering
Forest engineering
Industrial engineering
Manufacturing engineering
Marine engineering
Materials engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechatronics
Medical engineering
Metallurgical engineering
Nanotechnology
Naval architecture
Nuclear engineering
Ocean engineering
Operations research
Paper science
Petroleum engineering
Robotics
Engineering, other